I remember when I was much younger that fall always marked a time of change and festivity. In elementary school, I recall drawing pumpkins, making hand turkeys, and hearing about the same stories that were at the core of the American mythos. Dashing heroes down on their luck, which were able to rise to…

Images of men crouching with machine guns. Pictures of lifeless bodies in villages. Child soldiers, warlords, and massive carnage. Chances are, these are probably some of the first things you think of when you hear about the Congo. The DR Congo or Democratic Republic of Congo seems to be rife with human rights issues….

On May 28-30 Kosovo held its 4th International interfaith Conference highlighting the role, experience and contribution of Kosovo and the Balkan region to the global debate on promoting interfaith dialogue and countering violent extremism. The conference is the flagship event of Interfaith Kosovo initiative, bringing together civil society activists, faith leaders, diplomats and academics…

Kosovo, one of the mysteries of the world to most of today’s Americans. This small, “newborn nation” in South Eastern Europe presents an interesting case when looking at self-determination, ethnic conflict, and human rights. To allow us better insight into this complex case, the Reiff Center hosted the Former Ambassador of Kosovo to Japan,…

American diplomacy has always been a cornerstone of American presence abroad, as we hold embassies or consulates in 190 countries, managing over 300 diplomatic missions. Career Diplomats are some of the most prestigious and well respected members of the United States Government. Working in tandem with US security forces, US diplomats protect and represent…

Whether she’s 5 years old or 50 years old, a woman is raped every 20 minutes in India. Despite being the world’s largest democracy and having elected a female prime minister in the 1960’s, India’s culture is still deeply embedded in a patriarchal society. In 2012, a 23 year old girl was gang-raped in…

In 2010, a Spanish man named Mario Costeja González sued Google Spain and Google Inc. after complaining that a Google search brought up a digitized auction notice of his repossessed home. He claimed that because the issue had been resolved in 1998, the information was unnecessary and a violation of his privacy rights. Google…

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. He went on to transform South Africa – ending apartheid and instituting democracy, a process of healing, and human rights. In the late 1980s, the South African government under F.W. de Klerk had made it clear that it was open to negotiations, and anticipation…

Last year, an estimated 1 billion people watched the World Cup Final, making it the most watched televised event in history. Around the world, soccer is not just a sport. It is a way of life, a religion. Part of the reason soccer is so massively popular is because regardless of poverty level, virtually…

The brutality of the most recent killing of a Jordanian air force pilot by the terrorist group ISIS has shocked the world, even after multiple beheadings and other news of barbaric and systematic human rights violations. This begs the question: why are human beings so ruthless, so cruel, so brutal; killing without empathy for the…